Laura Mason

You hear it every day. It's a mantra in the startup world: "Timing is everything."

Like most old proverbs, this often proves to be true, until of course the time that it doesn't. And that's when things begin to get interesting, from my point of view.

The story of one of the city's most active mid-size PR firms in the technology sector, Allison & Partners, is illustrative.

Scott W. Allison launched his company here in the city in early September 2001, just days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When it comes to starting a new venture in a field that is highly dependent on clients who can pay, his timing couldn't have been worse.

Right now in San Francisco, it's almost too cold to enjoy the sun. That's why our celebration of the ever-tropical, sun-baked El Salvador this Wednesday at SOM is a perfect mid-week pick-me-up.

Our friends from Balompié Cafe will be serving their hot, legendary pupusas (for free!) and you can look forward to specials on rum drinks ($3) and El Salvadoran beer ($2) all night long while you dance to the beats of DJ Kingmost. The best part? It's free to get in.

Our offices were just ambushed by the saints at Rosamunde Sausage Grill, who kindly brought over sausages, bacon and jalapeño-wrapped meat morsels, peppers, sauerkraut and a ton of condiments to herald their catering service. Rosamunde's still one of our favorite take out spots; it's perfect for this gloomy weather, which doesn't exactly beckon us outdoors.

Big names for this year's Live 105 Not So Silent Night fest at HP Pavilion in San Jose were thrown around for a while, but the biggest player to enter the fray as headliner was just announced to be the Smashing Pumpkins, who haven't really given the Bay Area a totally awesome show since their residency at the Fillmore in 2007, when they actually invited fans with cameras to document the show.

Navigating the vast seas of the Oakland Art Murmur, which sets sail every first Friday of the month, is enough to wear anyone out. With 24 galleries and exhibition spaces joining together for one monthly night of art, music and meeting up, you'll need to know where all the coolest stuff to see is.

It's no secret that parking in the city is a bitch. So we've enlisted local parking guru and author of Finding the Sweet Spot, David La Bua, to dish out weekly tips on navigating the ins and outs of city parking.

Not all parking tickets were created equal. If you've got a car, you've got to know what your pocketbook is facing. Take this quiz to find out what parking ticket in SF will cost you the most dough. Check back at 2:30 pm for the answers!

Welcome to "Transported", our new weekly series about getting places in San Francisco, whether you take the bus or the BART, bike or drive. Come here to find the skinny on secret parking spots, the new bike lanes and how to get across town on Muni without losing your mind.

Great news for those who want to test the biking waters in SF. Next year, the city's getting a bike sharing program, which is kind of like Zipcar, but for bikes.

For any fanatic of the written word, the SF Authors' Luncheon, now in its 22nd year, is the place to be this Saturday, November 6th at the SF Marriott Marquis. Benefitting the National Kidney Foundation, the audience gets a chance to bask in the witty glow of six nationally known authors over lunch, followed by book signings and mingling.